The White House Tapes takes a look at the secret tapes recorded by three American presidents and how each president used one on one politics to shape history. Listen to conversations recorded by John F. Kennedy, Richard M. Nixon, and Lyndon B. Johnson. Read an introduction to each president, then go in-depth to explore particular events such as the Vietnam Dilemna and Watergate. Note: Although the transcripts are available on the site, the option to play the actual audio files requires Real Player. Check your computer to be sure you have this plugin.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Include the tapes and transcripts as part of any unit involving the 1960's, Vietnam, presidents, and more. Have students create timelines (with music, photos, videos, and more) using Capzles (reviewed here) and include information gathered on the audio tapes. Have students use Fakebook (reviewed here) to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about characters involved in the audio tapes.

Smithsonian's Artifacts & Analysis offers strategies and resources for incorporating historical documents and resources into the teaching of U.S. history, particularly the decades of the 20th century. Use the details of everyday life to help focus understanding of a time period. Choose from the four main sections: Artifacts & Documents, Teaching Guide, Writing Assignments, or Essay. The sample artifacts offered include a Furnace Salesman's Kit (1920s), Fiestaware (1930s-40s), Pennants (1950s-60s), Barbie Doll (1958), Jeans (1970s), and Lunchboxes (1950s-80s).

In the Classroom

Start off with a visit to the Teaching Guide to find some great ideas to incorporate in your class. Use materials from this site to enhance and bring historical teaching to life. Print the student guide for writing effective essays for students to include with history notebooks. Use questions from the teaching materials here to add to your current teaching plans or as discussion topics. Create a link on your class website for students to view this site at home. Have students research and find documents and artifacts in your own community or online to share in the classroom. Have them create curated collections in digital form with accompanying writings to explain them. Students could create annotated images including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here.

Webs is a free, easy to use website creator with many features for personalizing content. Drag and drop to add content: images, photos, video, slideshows, and more. Choose from a variety of themes in the template gallery. Add pages for blogs and online forums. Viewing on mobile and desktop computers is supported. The free version includes use of the mobile site (with ads) and storage for up to 40 MB and up to 5 items in an online store.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Possible uses are only limited by your imagination! Create your own website for parents and students where they can stay updated about what is happening in your classroom. Include links to where students can submit their assignments, your contact information, and anything else you might want to put on your website. There is a free blogging tool for writing assignments, reflection, or reading journals. Have everything you need on one website! Find more specific blog ideas in TeachersFirst's Blog Basics for the Classroom.

Try using Web for: "visual essays;" digital biodiversity logs (with digital pictures students take); online literary magazines; or personal reflections in images and text; research project presentations. Create comparisons of online content, such as political candidates' sites or content sites used in research (compared for bias); science sites documenting experiments or illustrating concepts, such as the water cycle; "Visual" lab reports. Have students create digital scrapbooks using images from the public domain and video and audio clips from a time in history - - such as the Roaring Twenties; Local history interactive stories or Visual interpretations of major concepts, such as a "visual" U.S. Constitution. Imagine building your own online library of raw materials for your students to create their own "web pages" as a new way of assessing understanding: you provide the digital pictures, and they sequence, caption, and write about them (younger students) or you provide the steps in a project as a template, and they insert the actual content of their own.

After a first project where you provide "building blocks," the sky is the limit on what they can do. Even the very young can make suggestions as you "create" a whole-class product together using an interactive whiteboard or projector. Consider making a new project for each unit you teach so students can "recap" long after the unit ends. Use as an online portfolio for high schools students to include with college applications.

What's Up in Finance is a 30 minute reality show teaching money smarts for teens. This accompanying site offers interactives, videos, and activities to support features on the show. Explore articles about financial careers. Try interactives to learn about smart financial decisions. Choose from several lesson plans offered (including materials list and national math standards). Please note that although the site does offer links to former shows and segments, those videos are no longer available. The materials on the site are still worth your while!

In the Classroom

View and modify lesson plans to meet your classroom needs. This site is highly appealing to the older student! Allow students to play the interactive games as part of your financial literacy unit. Have students create online posters individually or together as a class using a tool such as Web Poster Wizard (reviewed here) or PicLits (reviewed here. Include information from the career portion of your site as part of any career exploration activities.

Thinking with Type offers a classroom companion to the book Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, and Students. The book (and site) contain more information about type than you ever knew existed!. Resources include lectures, project ideas, handouts, and more to use for teaching not just with the book but also as a resource for anyone that uses type. Choose the letter category to view information such as size, scale, type families, and font formats. Explore line spacing, alignment, and tracking within the text portion of the site. Discover different grids such as single and multi-column grids. Be sure to check out the section for teachers loaded with information, exercises, projects, and demos.

In the Classroom

This site is an excellent resource for web design and graphic design classes. Share portions of this site on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) for lessons in type basics, typeface history, and more. Use some of the project ideas (see Extras: Tools for Teachers) to have students create poetry posters for poetry month using artistic type and their own words. Have students explore the site and create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Easel.ly, reviewed here or Venngage reviewed here.

Find lesson plans at the Pulitzer Center for grades 3-12 that identify global issues and ways to address them. Topics include subjects such as International Adoptions: Ethics and Effects and America's Responsibility for the Welfare and Safety of Chinese Workers and many other intriguing topics. Each lesson plan includes big ideas, essential questions, Common Core standards, vocabulary, assessments, and additional resources. Bring lessons to life through journalist visits (in larger cities) or Skype visits (using the request a class visit option on the site).

In the Classroom

Use the lesson plans on the site as a resource for discussing and debating global issues. If there is no time to complete a full unit, explore resources from each topic for ideas to use in your classroom. For example, try the ideas on interviewing individuals who migrated to the United States offered in the "How Did I Become the Person That I Am" unit. Share this site with students interested in journalism careers as a resource for learning more about the profession and some of its members.

All history can seem "ancient" unless you connect to it personally. Understand the American colonies and American Revolution by choosing a book to help you connect with the times. This list includes fiction and nonfiction books about life in the American colonies and during the American Revolution as well as books about leaders and major locations of this historic period. CurriConnects thematic book lists include ISBN numbers for ordering or searching, interest grade levels, ESL levels and Lexiles''''® to match student independent reading levels to challenge, not frustrate. For more on text complexity and Lexiles'''®, see this information from the Lexile Framework. Don't miss other CurriConnects themes being added regularly. If your library does not have the books, try interlibrary loan!

In the Classroom

Make history more real during your unit on Colonial America and/or the Revolution. Have students choose a book from this list and present their impressions from it in the form of a blog post from the times. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Loose Leaves, reviewed here. This blog creator requires no registration. Collect the links to all the student posts on your class web page for students to browse and gather a "human" experience of history.

The Center for History Education offers this resource to teach a variety of topics in American History via an inquiry approach. Sample topics include Native Americans, Colonization, Civil Rights, Slavery, the American Revolution, and many more. All labs include central questions, source materials, and step by step explanations to implement the lab. The approach is well suited to social studies literacy standards of Common Core, as students explore and evaluate sources (informational texts) and eventually "Develop, present, defend, and refine their evidence-based answers." Choose from History Labs or Lesson Plans to find resources then scroll through the dates to view available materials. Use links to print materials in PDF format. Although the site title indicates materials for all levels of students, most resources are geared toward middle and high school grades. Some of the videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable. You could always view the videos at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid reviewed here to download the videos from YouTube.

In the Classroom

Bookmark and save this site for use with any American History topic as a complete lesson or to offer another angle on current lessons. Have students create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Easel.ly, reviewed here or Venngage reviewed here. Before beginning a unit, have students brainstorm or collect ideas on a collaborative bulletin board like Scrumblr, reviewed here (quick start- no membership required!).

GR8CTZ - Great Cities of the World is a geoguessing game where you are transported to a world city and have to guess the location based on views from Google Maps street views. Look and walk around a bit before attempting a guess. You have three tries to get it right. Start the game after choosing options such as levels, language (English, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish), and city subset options. Although very simple looking, this is an intriguing option for exploring the world without leaving home!

In the Classroom

Use this tool on an Interactive Whiteboard (or projector) with an entire class. Students can work as a class, individually, or in groups to identify locations based on clues. Use the clues to discuss information about social structure, livelihood, religion, landforms, and other cultural information. Use this information to uncover and correct misconceptions and discuss cultural differences in countries outside the US. Go beyond the map to learn about the various foods, agriculture, and other aspects of their lives. Research the local ecosystem to determine native plants and animals found in the country. Create a poem or story set in that locale using information learned through research. Are you a connected educator? Find other educators around the World using Twitter (reviewed here) to make connections between classrooms. Join the Across the World Once a Week project ( here) to share about the culture where you live.

SchoolRack is a free service for creating a classroom website or blog. Designed with schools in mind, its features include options for managing student and parent groups, discussion boards, and mailing lists. Post, collect, and report grades using site features. Use the password protection feature to protect privacy in any or all portions of your site. Use the Quick Start Guide to set your site up easily and quickly. The free account allows for 5 pages, 100 MB of storage, 1 class, 1 mailing list, and unlimited discussion topics. Although we recommend this site for all grades, in elementary school an adult would need to be in charge of the "creating" part. The limits to free pages most likely mean its use for a class web page is best suited for elementary teachers who have only one class.

In the Classroom

Use SchoolRack to keep parents and students updated with class information. Create, collect, and post assignments using features on the site. Try using SchoolRack for student created "visual essays;" digital biodiversity logs (with digital pictures students take); online literary magazines; personal reflections in images and text; research project presentations; comparisons of online content, such as political candidates' sites or content sites used in research (compared for bias). Use this tool to make for science sites documenting experiments or illustrating concepts, such as the water cycle; "Visual" lab reports; Digital scrapbooks using images from the public domain and video and audio clips from a time in history -- such as the Roaring Twenties; Local history interactive stories; and Visual interpretations of major concepts, such as a "visual" U.S. Constitution. Imagine building your own online library of raw materials for your students to create their own "web pages" as a new way of assessing understanding: you provide the digital pictures, and they sequence, caption, and write about them (younger students) or you provide the steps in a project as a template, and they insert the actual content of their own. Of course, the limits to the free pages will mean you can only choose one or two of these ideas!

Create beautiful, annotable, and audible flashcards using Classmints. Features allow the ability to add code, insert images, and to explain notes with text or images. Play notes in an audio visual player to listen while studying. "Fold" notes to cover up explanations then "unfold" to view and review. Adjust settings to allow flashcards to be private or public depending on your needs. Be sure to explore the "ready to go" flashcards at the site, before creating your own. At the time of this review, this website was FREE. However, the website creator does mention they plan to add premium features in the future, while keeping most of the site free. The introduction video is hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then it may not be viewable. You could always view the video at home and bring it to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid reviewed here to download the video from YouTube.

In the Classroom

Create flashcards for your classes or have them make their own. Try using them as an introduction to a concept, again in the practice of the concept, and as a final review. It is a nice three for one creation deal! This would be great for teaching Latin prefixes and suffixes of words to students. Use in science terms, or for standardized test preparation. Try having students create flashcards and share with each other to quiz themselves within their own groups. Teach students in higher grades how to create flash cards with multiple blanks to challenge their brain to remember more pieces of the puzzle. Show them how to carefully read through their classroom notes and underline the most important word or words in a sentence. Then have them leave out the most important words for their flashcards. Learning support teachers might want to have small groups create cards together to review before tests. Have students create flashcard sets to "test" classmates on what they "teach" in oral reports. Be sure to check the data base for already created sets to save you time making them yourself!

Quickly and easily create photo collages in many shapes using Loupe. Choose from various shape options such as hearts, flowers, cars, or create your own from text or drawing. Then add pictures. Add pictures from your computer and many online sites such as Facebook, Dropbox, Flickr, and Google Drive with just a couple of clicks. You can also create cards using this tool. For cards or collages, search the web for pictures to add, and choose the ones you prefer. Once pictures are added, adjust settings such as background color, picture borders, or shuffle images until pleased with the result. The card tool provides simple drawing tools to add to your image. Share saved collages or cards using social networking links or download onto your computer. Start immediately: no registration necessary to begin!

In the Classroom

Create and share collages of classroom activities, field trips, and much more. In lower grades, create the collage together or for your students. Embed collages into your class website or blog for viewing at home. Have students create collages using their own pictures of land formations, types of plants, colors, words beginning with the same letter of the alphabet, and whatever else you can think of! This is a great tool for your visual learners! Create cards as gifts for moms or dads or for thank yous to members of the school community. Print the cards, fold over, and handwrite messages inside. Practice simple thank you notes on your own creative cards.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum focuses on the impact of the whaling industry and specifically the interaction between whaling and the port of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Of interest to those studying one of the 18th and 19th century's leading industries, the museum also offers insight into the material culture of New England, the life and habitat of whales, and the craft of ship building.
The site offers a closer look at a number of current and past special exhibits, as well as a searchable database of artifacts in the current collection. Don't miss the special reading lists and other resources.

In the Classroom

The museum's exhibits focused on the Arctic and on the migrations and habitats of whales are useful from a historical perspective. Consider using early maps and photographs from the exploration of Arctic regions to compare with current maps for a discussion on global climate change. Use information about current and past whale habitats to illustrate the impact of ocean changes on the largest of its inhabitants. Students doing independent research will find the individual images of the museum's extensive collection useful as well. Have students act as curators for an imaginary special exhibit, perhaps creating a map using Click2Map, reviewed here, to add points of interest with display markers featuring text, photos, and videos. to show the artifact locations and tell the stories of their "artifacts." (Simplify adding images by inserting them using the online URLs of the artifact images from the museum catalog. To find and copy the URL for an online image, RIGHT click on it to "Copy Image URL" or "Get Info," depending on your browser and computer type.)

Note Pub is an online notepad: a clean and simple writing tool to keep track of lists, personal reminder notes, or even journal entries. A nice feature is the choice to store notes on your computer. This allows you to edit your notes when there is no Internet connection. So, even when offline just go to Note Pub.com and update. The FREE version allows up to 50 "Notes" per year. Be aware, you must create a screen name and password before you can proceed into the site. This is entirely free and requires no email address. Just make sure you WRITE DOWN or remember the username and password you create, since it cannot email you a password reset!This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

There are many classroom uses for an electronic notepad. Science and math students can jot down the steps in a lab or math problem. History students can take notes on the text they are reading, and students in all those subjects can take notes for a test or create questions for a test on Note Pub. Language Arts students can keep track of characters in a novel and write responses as they read. Writing students can use this program as a place to jot down ideas or first drafts. No one has to worry about the general public seeing any of their writing. The free option doesn't allow any "public" notes.

Develop your vocabulary and understanding of culture through words. The site offers a series of short videos presented by experts from the University of Nottingham's School of Cultures, Languages, and Area Studies. Each video takes an in-depth look at the story behind many words of the world, including where they came from, what they mean, and how the words have changed over time. Simply click on any word in the visual to view the video. Most videos are less than 5 minutes in length. This site was created in the United Kingdom, so you may notice some slight pronunciation (or spelling) differences from American English. Many of the videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable. You could always view the videos at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid reviewed here to download the videos from YouTube.

In the Classroom

Words of the World is a great site for some quick vocabulary building, but even more it is a window into words as vital components of culture and history. Share these videos on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) for a quick lesson on the background and meaning of several words. Use it to talk about how words can also define a time period in history or a concept that is vital to a particular culture. Explore language as PART of a culture as you study different countries. Find out what words are unique to that culture. Use this site as an example, then challenge cooperative learning groups to create their own word background videos of culture-connected words and share them on a site such as TeacherTube reviewed here. Share a link to videos using links provided on your class website for students to view as a word of the week. Challenge students to use the word of the week in class discussions or other written work throughout the week.

Watch full length documentaries online for free. Find your favorites through daily suggestions, browsing the top 100, or searching categories: 9/11, activism, art, aviation, business, comedy, crime, disaster, drugs, economics, environmental, food/drink, health, media, medicine, music, nature, performing arts, philosophy, political, religion, science, social, sport, strange, technology, travel, and many more. Look at film festivals and films featured in each. If you do not find what you are looking for, submit your request. A link to Amazon brings you to DVD's. Some are free, and others are for sale.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Discover the power of documentaries while studying point of view, primary and secondary resources, and debate skills. Examine the aspects shown in documentaries and help students find structure to provide an unbiased research project. Challenge existing knowledge in many areas. Help students become active thinkers and become involved in current events. Sharpen your own understandings.

In the Classroom

With documentaries challenge your students' understanding of food, history, politics, or people. Use to provide another point of view which might not be available in traditional text books. Use to explain primary and secondary sources, as well as an example of a way to extend thinking. Provide a documentary as an example for your students to do an in depth research project. Use documentaries to challenge knowledge, create new knowledge, and learn.

The Media History Digital Library and the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Communication Arts have scanned over 80,000 pages of classic media periodicals to create this searchable archive. Traditionally, history is the story of battles and politics, famous names and important dates. But the history of a culture must also include how people spent their free time and what kind of entertainment they enjoyed. This archive, which spans the period from 1896 through 1978, includes fan magazines, print media related to radio, television and film broadcasts, and theatre and vaudeville. The archive can be searched by date, format, title, and collection. The collection is limited to print media and does not include any audio or video files.

In the Classroom

Sometimes it's easier to "set the tone" for a particular moment in time by including images from popular culture. Students can see what regular people were interested in: what movies they watched, what they listened to on the radio, what TV shows they enjoyed (and the fact that they WATCHED TV, not YouTube!). Using some of these images, stories, and other material from this archive to supplement the study of a time period or an event in history can flesh out what life was like "back in the day."

Explore these three engaging interactives about plagiarism. Click on any title to begin play and read the objectives and directions. Topics include plagiarism, ethics, and cheating. This is a great "digital citizenship" site! The examples of plagiarism include more subtle "offenses," such as misquoting or incorrect citations.

In the Classroom

These activities are quite simple in nature and would be perfect for use in introducing or reinforcing topics pertaining to plagiarism. Display on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) and discuss terms used and examples of plagiarism. Allow students to explore on their own in small groups to find all the "crimes." Have students create an online or printed comic discussing plagiarism using a tool like Printable Comic Strip Templates, reviewed here, or Write Comics, reviewed here. You could use Printable Comic Templates for all students to create a rough draft.

Create your own interactive version of any PDF document or text using Active Textbook. Don't let the term "textbook" fool you. This tool can work with fiction and non-fiction or ANY combination. Add an existing document to begin. Use the site's tools to enhance with multimedia, links, notes, bookmarks, and more. Use social networking tools to exchange ideas and questions with other readers. Customizing features allow for private viewing, tags, inclusion into courses, and enabling or disabling comments. Save up to 500 pages or 50MB using the free version of the site.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Upload any PDF document to create an interactive book for class use. Create one together as a class as you move through a unit or topic, adding images and ideas you students suggest, creating a class "book." Use in a flipped classroom to deliver course information. Have students convert any document to PDF format using PDF Converter reviewed here. Assign several student groups the same pdf and have each group create their own multimedia versions as they learn more about the topic. Make a digital bookshelf of all the versions and invite the class to vote for the best. Challenge your gifted students to enhance the "standard" class text with additional material they discover by going deeper and learning about related topics. In lower grades, create teacher-made ebooks for your young readers, perhaps adding audio of your own voice reading the text.